Insecticide bait composition

ABSTRACT

A powdered insecticide bait composition which includes powdered dry pet food, powdered pyrethrin or pyrethroid and boric acid killing ingredients and a powdered clay drying agent. A method for preparing the composition, including the steps of grinding the dry pet food into a powder, adding the powdered pyrethrin and boric acid killing ingredients to the pet food granules and thoroughly mixing the ingredients. The resulting powdered mixture can be sprinkled around the baseboards of a structure to kill roaches or other scavenging insects and on ant mounds to kill ants, including fire ants. An additional step in preparing the composition includes a powdered oil-soak type clay drying agent to the mixture to maintain the mixture in a dry, fine, flowable powder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to insecticidal compositions effective forkilling insects and more particularly, to an environmentally safepowdered insecticide bait composition for luring and killing a varietyof scavenging pest insects and a method for preparing the composition.In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a commercially-prepared, drypet food such as dog food is initially milled, ground or otherwisecomminuted to a particle size between a 100 mesh and 400 mesh screensize. A pet food having a high fat content is preferred, since food ofthis character is more effective in attracting both German and Americancockroaches, fire ants and other scavenging insects, than is food havinga low fat content. Powdered boric acid having a particle size smallerthan a 250 mesh screen is then blended with the pet food. Boric acid isused because it has a proven long-lasting residual cockroach-killingcapability and is non-toxic to mammals in the indicated concentrations,including livestock and domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, horses,dogs, cats, as well as zoo and laboratory animals and the like. Apowdered pyrethrin or pyrethroid killing ingredient, preferably asynthetic pyrethrin devoid of solvents, is next blended with the boricacid mixture. Synthetic pyrethrins exhibit very effective insectcontrol, have little odor and, like boric acid, are non-toxic to mammalsin the indicated concentrations. An absorbent clay drying agent having aparticle size smaller than 250 mesh, is preferably blended with themixture in sufficient quantity to insure flowability of the powderedmixture. The drying agent removes moisture from the pet food particles,preventing the mixture from clumping and thus enabling it to be freelyflowable and easily dispensed from a container. The resulting non-toxicand easy-to-use, powdered mixture has been found to be very effective inattracting and eliminating not only American and German cockroaches, butalso ants, scavenging beatles, crickets, earwigs, houseflies, termitesand virtually any other type of scavenging insect.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Several compounds are known in the art for eliminating ants, cockroachesand other undesirable insects. U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,458, dated Jun. 8,1976, to Michael S. Schrider, details a "Systemic Control ofEctoparasites With Pyrethroids", utilizing m-phenoxybenzyl esters ofspirocarboxylic acids as systemic insecticidal and acaricidal agents fortreatment of homothermic animals. U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,090, dated Mar.20, 1984, to Alan D. Brite, discloses a "Method of Preparing anInsecticide Containing Boric Acid", including the steps of milling theboric acid to a desired particle size, blending the boric acid particleswith magnesium stearate, silica gel or tricalcium phosphate, addingsucrose octa-acetate or denatonium benzoate, adding a non-white powderedpigment, and electrically charging the particles of the resultinginsecticide mixture. U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,758, dated Jul. 24, 1984, alsoto Alan D. Brite, describes an "Insecticide Including Powdered BoricAcid", characterized by a mixture of powdered boric acid, sucroseocta-acetate or denatonium benzoate, magnesium stearate, silica gel ortricalcium phosphate, and a non-white powdered pigment. U.S. Pat. No.4,759,930, dated Jul. 26, 1988, to Marc S. Granirer, et al, details"Insect Killing Compositions and Method of Killing Insects Employing aSynergistic Mixture of Pyrethrum, Eucalyptus, Rosemary and Peppermint".The compositions are characterized by a powder, including a mixture ofpyrethrum and/or rotenone and one or more of the following: eucalyptus,rosemary, peppermint and boric acid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,424, dated Sep.10, 1991, to George S. Puritch, et al, discloses an "EnvironmentallySafe Insecticide", including a mixture of monocarboxylic acids and theiralkali metal salts and a pyrethroid compound.

An object of this invention is to provide an insecticide baitcomposition of low toxicity and extremely low application rate, foreffectively killing a variety of undesirable insects.

Another object of this invention is to provide a powdered insecticidebait composition of minimum active ingredient, combined with extremelylow application rate, which is substantially non-toxic, odorless,requires no solvents or other ingredients and includes commercial petfood, boric acid and a pyrethrin or pyrethroid killing ingredient.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an environmentallysafe, ready-to-use insecticide bait composition characterized by a fine,dry, readily-flowable powder which is easily dispensed from a selectedcontainer and includes commercial pet food, boric acid, a pyrethrin orpyrethroid and a clay drying agent.

An even further object of this invention is to provide a method forpreparing an insecticide bait composition, including the steps ofgrinding, pulverizing or comminuting dry, commercial pet food into aflowable powder, mixing powdered boric acid with the pet food andblending a powdered pyrethrin or pyrethroid ingredient with the pet foodand boric acid mixture.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a method forpreparing a powdered insecticide bait composition, which includes thesteps of milling or grinding and screening dry, commercial pet food,mixing a powdered synthetic pyrethrin or pyrethroid and powdered boricacid with the ground pet food as killing ingredients and adding a claydrying agent to the mixture to maintain the mixture in a dry, finelypowdered, readily flowable state.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects of the invention are provided in a powdered,odorless, substantially non-toxic, easily-dispensed and effective,environmentally-safe insecticide bait composition characterized by apowdered pet food having a high fat content, powdered pyrethrin andboric acid killing ingredients and a powdered clay-base drying agent,all blended as a flowable powder. A method of preparing the powderedbait composition includes the steps of grinding, milling or otherwisecomminuting dry, commercial pet food, screening the pet food particles,mixing a powdered synthetic pyrethrin or pyrethroid and powdered boricacid with the powdered pet food as killing agents and adding a powderedclay drying agent to the mixture to mechanically disperse the powderedingredients, dry the water from the pet food ingredient, coat the greasypet food particles and maintain the mixture in a dry, fine, flowablepowder state.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, dry, commercial pet foodsuch as dog food is initially ground or comminuted in a grinder such asa grist mill or coffee grinder and forced through the mesh of a screensuch as a window screen to form small granules which have a particlesize between about 100 mesh and about 400 mesh and are collected in acontainer. Because food having a high fat content tends to attractcockroaches, ants and other scavenging insects more effectively thandoes food having little or no fat, the dog food utilized in thisinvention preferably has a fat content equal to or greater than about 12percent by weight. Typical of pet foods which may be used in theinvention is "Dog Chow" (trademark) manufactured by the Purina Companyof St. Louis, Mo. "Dog Chow" exists as chunks characterized by a mixtureof ground yellow corn, soybean meal, meat and bone meal, ground meat andanimal fat, in addition to other ingredients. Dry, powdered,commercial-grade boric acid may be then screened, if necessary, to formparticles smaller than 250 mesh and is collected in the container. Thepowdered boric acid is thoroughly mixed with the dog food granules anddry, powdered, synthetic pyrethrin may likewise be screened andcollected in the container. The powdered form of the pyrethrin is usedbecause it includes no solvents, which may repel certain cockroaches andother scavenging insects. The pyrethrin is then thoroughly mixed withthe dog food and boric acid mixture. After mixing, the powderedpyrethrin and boric acid particles adhere to the pet food particles dueto the oil and moisture remaining in the dog food particles. An oil-soaktype, pelletized clay drying agent such as "Floor-Guard" (trademark)manufactured for Specialty Oil Company of Shreveport, La., may becomminuted to a particle size smaller than about 250 mesh and thoroughlymixed with the powdered mixture in the container. Alternatively,powdered clay drying agents may be used to eliminate the size-reductionstep. The clay drying agent is a multi-purpose colloidal absorbent andis capable of coating the pet food particles and absorbing most of themoisture in the pet food particles, maintaining the mixture in a fine,dry, powdered and easily-flowable state, which is easily dispensed froma container of selected design into cracks and crevices and on ant beds.

It is understood that the insecticide bait composition of this inventionmay be prepared using the ingredients described above, but without theaddition of the clay drying agent to the powdered dog food, boric acidand pyrethrin mixture. However, the drying agent is preferably added tothe mixture for the purpose of coating the oily pet food particles andremoving excess moisture from the pet food particles to prevent clumpingof the mixture, and thus enables the composition to be emptied from thedispensing container as an easily flowing powder and applied to smallcracks and crevices more easily. The clay-base drying agent does notconvey any appreciable insecticidal properties on the insecticidal baitcomposition or contribute to the non-toxic or odorless characteristicsof the composition.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the followingexamples:

EXAMPLE 1

Six pounds of Purina Dog Chow dog food was ground in a coffee grinderand passed through a screen to form granules having a size between 100mesh and 400 mesh and the screened granules were collected in acontainer. One pound of powdered commercial-grade boric acid was thensifted through a screen to form particles having a size smaller than 250mesh and the boric acid particles were collected in the container. Thedog food granules were then thoroughly mixed with the boric acidparticles. 1.33 ounces of powdered, dry, commercial-grade, 40% puresynthetic pyrethrin was then screened, collected in the container andthen thoroughly blended with the powdered mixture in the container. Onepound of "Floor-Guard" absorbent was ground and passed through thescreen to form particles having a size smaller than 250 mesh and theparticles were added to the container and thoroughly blended with themixture. The resulting fine powdered mixture was removed from the mixingcontainer and packaged in dispensing containers of a selected size andshape.

EXAMPLE 2

Six pounds of Purina Dog Chow dog food was ground in a coffee grinderand passed through a 100 mesh screen and the granules were collected ina container. One pound of commercial-grade powdered boric acid was thenadded to the container and the dog food granules were thoroughly mixedwith the boric acid particles. 1.33 ounces of powdered, dry,commercial-grade, 40% pure synthetic pyrethrin was then added to thecontainer and the mixture thoroughly mechanically blended. The resultingmixture was removed from the mixing container and packaged in dispensingcontainers of a selected size and shape.

It will be appreciated that substantially any pyrethrin or pyrethroidcompound having insecticidal activity is useful in the practice of thisinvention, including the pyrethroids innumerated in U.S. Pat. No.5,047,424 to Purtich, et al at column 4, lines 45-55. The pyrethroidsidentified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,458 to Schnider are also appropriateinsect killing agents for use in the compound of this invention. Theconcentration of pyrethrin used in the insecticide bait composition ofthis invention compares favorably with the concentrations innumerated inthese patents. Pyrethrin for use as a killing agent of the compositionmay be extracted as a powder from the seeds, flowers or leaves of thecomposite family, of the genus chrysanthemum. However, a most preferredingredient is synthetic pyrethrin or pyrethroid which are well known tothose skilled in the art.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been describedabove, it will be recognized and understood that various modificationsmay be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended tocover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

Having described my invention with the particularity set forth above,what is claimed is:
 1. An environmentally safe insecticide compositioncomprising a comminuted, flowable mixture of dry pet food comprising byweight at least from about 8% to about 12% fat, a colloidal drying agentfor coating and absorbing moisture from said pet food, powdered boricacid present in said composition in a weight percent of from about 10%to about 18% and a synthetic pyrethrin present in said composition in aweight percent of from about 0.25% to about 0.55%.